An avionics display often displays numerous types of data. If categorized, this data may be, but is not limited to, critical data, non-critical data, primary data, secondary data, redundant data, or combinations thereof. Each category may have separate sub-categories. For example, the level of criticality of critical data may also include sub-categories, including but not limited to, of minor, of major, of hazardous, of catastrophic, and of no safety effect. Due to the various types and amount of data to be displayed on the avionic display, prioritization, organization and presentation of data is crucial to effective operation of any avionics vehicle or the successful completion of a task designed for the avionics vehicle.
For example, a flight pattern can be an extremely complex data unit/file organized by a flight management system (FMS) and displayed on the avionics display. If organized and presented efficiently, a pilot ensures strategic conflict awareness and navigates a properly managed airspace. On the other hand, unorganized, cluttered, ineffectively prioritized, poorly annunciated, or ineffectively presented flight patterns can have disastrous consequences.
In the context of search and rescue (SAR) patterns, the display complexity of the flight patterns may increase proportionally to a number of legs, waypoints and/or leg terminators assigned to the flight pattern. Often, a flight map is configured to present the entire flight pattern, including its numerous legs, waypoints and/or leg terminators in a relatively small area on a single display, sometimes without a zoom feature. Even if a zoom feature is included with a flight plan map presentation system (e.g., FMS), often the zoom feature requires many sequential click-drag-zoom, click-drag-zoom procedures in order to zoom in on a desired flight plan map location, which can be burdensome when using a Cursor Control Device (CCD). Further, many FMS/flight plan map systems utilize a resistive-single-touch display that does not allow a “pinch-to-zoom” feature (i.e., such a feature requires multi-touch enablement). Therefore, it would be desirous to obtain more efficient presentation methods, apparatuses, interfaces and/or systems in the avionics field.